Frag spurred my thoughts on this issue, and while I never did find a good solution for giving states each more power and relieving some from the feds, I did find insight into what I would like to see happen in an overall picture of America. Here is but a small portion of the vision in my head based on several hours musing, or at least the more fleshed-out ideas:
EDIT - Somehow I forgot to add the section on TAXES. That's ironic because it was the first thing on my list of things to write, yet somehow got misplaced from the document. I'm adding it to the bottom.
Thoughts on a new form of government;
Or, [How to improve our current system:]
CONGRESS
A two-party system has its inherent flaws, as we’ve seen in recent and past dead-locks that ensue with the lame-duck session. While not a real “fix” of the system, introducing at least one additional party would alter the mix, and force all involved parties to rethink how they do business and potentially start thinking about what might be best for the people, instead of the institutions padding their wallets. Of the serious options, I’d suggest a Labor Party and/or Socialist Party to really get the Republicans and Democrats focused our freedoms as they should, while the Socialist Party fights for what we all deserve. Getting a 2/3rd majority vote in this new Congress would be nearly impossible, so I’d push for a 51% acceptance rating.
UNIONS
Unions ask for too much in a society that is struggling just to keep people employed. If union workers didn’t have such disparate pay wages and benefits over non-union workers, then the gap between the poor and middle-class would not be as wide as it currently is, and furthermore, corporations would be able to afford the employ of more workers. Additionally, with my propositions on Health Care, corporations would not have to cover such costs as they do now.
To replace the unions should be laws and government oversight agencies (similar in principle to the FDA, EPA, or any other Federal oversight agency) which ensure fair and equal treatment. The federal law should have a nationwide minimum wage based on average nationwide current “Livable Wage” requirements (i.e. food, shelter, utilities).
SCHOOLS
Children here in this country of school age must attend a state or private run institution of their choice until the 12th grade. The difference is with the abolishment of unions, schools should no longer get paid based on the amount of students which come through their doors. They should be paid a flat rate for their academic programs based on the projected population of minors in the area from the Census, and receive compensation from the state (which will receive kickbacks from the feds) based on the average grade of the students overall (per grade). As such, teachers should also receive compensation for jobs well done, and penalties – such as warnings and suspensions – for poor student performance. Because some years will be harder than others, no teacher should be let go based on one year’s poor performance, but over the course of several semesters if poor performance is continually outstanding. Twice a year there should be federal tests administered by federal teachers done in the school cafeteria to test all grades/children to make sure they are learning properly – or rather what the teachers are reporting for their students’ scores reflect what these federal tests do – and that the schools aren’t lying to bilk more money from the feds than they deserve.
MILITARY
A mandatory military service of 2.5 years will be required for all citizens and non-citizens whom have been in the country since the 6th grade and up starting after the Summer of graduation (or if the person did not graduate, then on their 18th birthday). Exceptions will only be given for the disabled or in extreme situations, young individuals may claim hardship if they support their entire family. Women who are expecting can get a reprieve until three-months after they deliver, then they must serve. No exceptions! This service will be mandatory and without pay (see next paragraph).
Once their time is the Military is served, reformed individuals gain automatic citizenship if they were not already legal, and may attend a four-year federal university of their choosing with all expenses paid – no more or no less. If the student chooses not to go to a university immediately upon leaving the service, or if the student takes longer than four years to complete their major, the federal government will not cover or compensate for the remaining expenses – it will be up to the individual student in that case.
ILLEGALS
To say illegal’s are taking American jobs is absurd when the reality is, the more people in a given area, the more food, gas, daycare, everything a person needs, must be available and in abundance. The influx of people should not “take” jobs away, because in return for the increase in bodies is an increase in demand, thus more jobs are required to sustain the current population. If all the illegal’s currently residing in the states left back to their country of origin, nothing would change because even though many jobs opened up, the need for everything else would decrease, thus working Americans would loose their jobs as demand for goods dropped and would have to take up the jobs the illegal’s left behind, and nothing would change.
On that note, both the Canadian and Mexican border should be removed completely. Citizens in North America should receive a pass, as they have in Europe, to travel around the continent and work freely.
DRUGS
Legalizing drugs would be mandatory for many reasons, but first let’s talk safety: all the strict laws in place currently for alcohol would be enforced fully for all drugs, including DUI, drunk in public, open container laws, etc. There would have to be a safe and effective way to test for the drug(s) in question or that drug would not be made legal for obvious reasons.
Having said that, upon legalization, non-violent drug offenders would retroactively be released from custody immediately; this would save the states a tremendous amount on inmate costs and overcrowding. Additionally, the legalization of drugs would include high tax rates (as they do for tobacco) which would add millions to each states revenue on an annual basis instead of costing millions annually for enforcement. Furthermore, the ability to grow drugs would add tens of thousands of jobs to the economy, from farmers, to sellers, to head shops, to what-have-you. With federal oversight, the FDA would provide safe levels of drug use for individuals, eliminating many overdoses caused today. I personally would push for a “no-refinement” law, meaning drugs must be used in a pure form, not refined into a powder form that might be considered highly toxic and unsafe, nor prescription pills abused. Abuse of this law would be steep penalties, followed by jail time.
Last and possibly most importantly, this would completely kill the drug trade in Mexico, and with the boarder opened up, there would no longer be anything to fear, and Mexicans could finally get the corruption out of their cities and government.
LAWS {SPEEDING}
To help cover the costs of Military and Healthcare, there should be traffic cameras on all freeways and highways going into and out of every city in every state, and in front of every school zone. Speeders will receive their ticket in the mail. Speeding is illegal, yet we all do it. The current system of the highway patrol catching one car at a time is a joke and we all know it, which is why we all speed. Our breaking the law can help cover the costs of Military, Healthcare, Prisons, and whatever else was needed, Hell, maybe even replenishing Social Security if enough people speed on a continual basis. The added camera system would also mean less highway patrol needed, thus more city police could be afforded and that would mean less crimes committed!
HEALTHCARE
In our current system, Doctors in certain fields simply get overpaid leaving the important jobs of our General Practitioners few and far between. The cost of non-generic drugs is controlled by large corporations, and even after five years (the maximum time from whence a drug hits the market to when generic versions of the drug can start competing), these corporations push congress to extend their stranglehold on the market, and Congress usually yields for whatever reasons (money obviously). Until these two discrepancies are fixed, our Healthcare system in America can never be fixed, however once they are fixed, I fancy a Healthcare system based on Denmark’s, with a higher tax rate, but everyone is covered from birth to the grave, regardless of what might be ailing you.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Finally in this fantasy re-imaging of America, being a part of the United Nations and NAFTA is one thing, but policing the world is not good for Foreign Relations! Did I not trust the intentions of our leaders completely, I’d be afraid of the abuse of power at the highest levels, but having said that, I believe it should be this countries mission statement to strive for peaceful relations worldwide and to lead by example. But not only that, let countries – such as Israel – fight their own battles. So far it’s worked surprisingly well with a large portion of the middle-east countries turning democratic seemingly overnight. We don’t need to be micromanaging every aspect of the world to make it a safer place to live.
What I think should change in these regards is our foreign policy of giving aid to countries that don't need it, and interfering in other countries business without the full approval of the United Nations. Having nukes may make us formidable foes, but bad bedfellows with terrible bedside manors. I would like to see America more focused on strengthening ties to, and showing support for the United Nations, and attempting to do foreign affairs "business" through them instead of in opposition to them. This of course does not include Ambassador visits or special interests pertaining solely to this country, but worldwide events, such as our dealings with North Korea, how we handled the UN during our invasion of Iraq, situations like this. I guess what I fear the most with our current foreign policy is Iran launching a nuke and Israel, America launching a nuke at Iran, Russia seeing this and launching a nuke at America, America responding back with a counter-launch, China seeing this and launching a nuke at America, America responding, and the world ending all because we're interfering in other countries business instead of focusing on making peace. While I don't really think this would ever happen, it would be my hopes that doing business through more formal channels might lessen the possibility of such a catastrophic event ever occurring, and then perhaps as a United world, we can focus on helping the 3rd world countries that really do need aid but aren't getting any (because there is nothing in the cards for us).
TAXES
The current problem with the tax code is all of the "exceptions" and tax "loopholes" that make tax time confusing for the average American, and allow large corporations to pay next to nothing for their taxes (as stated by Warren Buffet). To remedy this and increase revenue, while spurring equality across the board, this country would adopt a policy like Herman Cain's flat 9/9/9 tax rate, but with no exceptions. Because it would be a flat, non-alterable rate, taxes would no longer need to be filled out at the beginning of the year because they would constantly be sent to the government out of your paycheck each month. Large business and private employees would have to submit this payment each month, perhaps with a Bill Pay type service, but the process would be very simple - take your total income and calculate 9% of that to see how much you owe. The only difference that might possibly be made to the standard 9/9/9 proposition is - with the other changes being proposed in this post - 9% might be have to be adjusted to compensate for Healthcare fees, but also increased revenue from the Speeding tickets and legalization of drugs. Perhaps a point lower or higher in either direction.
Child Support would still be allowed to garnish wages, but this would not affect the tax rate.
EDIT - Somehow I forgot to add the section on TAXES. That's ironic because it was the first thing on my list of things to write, yet somehow got misplaced from the document. I'm adding it to the bottom.
Thoughts on a new form of government;
Or, [How to improve our current system:]
CONGRESS
A two-party system has its inherent flaws, as we’ve seen in recent and past dead-locks that ensue with the lame-duck session. While not a real “fix” of the system, introducing at least one additional party would alter the mix, and force all involved parties to rethink how they do business and potentially start thinking about what might be best for the people, instead of the institutions padding their wallets. Of the serious options, I’d suggest a Labor Party and/or Socialist Party to really get the Republicans and Democrats focused our freedoms as they should, while the Socialist Party fights for what we all deserve. Getting a 2/3rd majority vote in this new Congress would be nearly impossible, so I’d push for a 51% acceptance rating.
UNIONS
Unions ask for too much in a society that is struggling just to keep people employed. If union workers didn’t have such disparate pay wages and benefits over non-union workers, then the gap between the poor and middle-class would not be as wide as it currently is, and furthermore, corporations would be able to afford the employ of more workers. Additionally, with my propositions on Health Care, corporations would not have to cover such costs as they do now.
To replace the unions should be laws and government oversight agencies (similar in principle to the FDA, EPA, or any other Federal oversight agency) which ensure fair and equal treatment. The federal law should have a nationwide minimum wage based on average nationwide current “Livable Wage” requirements (i.e. food, shelter, utilities).
SCHOOLS
Children here in this country of school age must attend a state or private run institution of their choice until the 12th grade. The difference is with the abolishment of unions, schools should no longer get paid based on the amount of students which come through their doors. They should be paid a flat rate for their academic programs based on the projected population of minors in the area from the Census, and receive compensation from the state (which will receive kickbacks from the feds) based on the average grade of the students overall (per grade). As such, teachers should also receive compensation for jobs well done, and penalties – such as warnings and suspensions – for poor student performance. Because some years will be harder than others, no teacher should be let go based on one year’s poor performance, but over the course of several semesters if poor performance is continually outstanding. Twice a year there should be federal tests administered by federal teachers done in the school cafeteria to test all grades/children to make sure they are learning properly – or rather what the teachers are reporting for their students’ scores reflect what these federal tests do – and that the schools aren’t lying to bilk more money from the feds than they deserve.
MILITARY
A mandatory military service of 2.5 years will be required for all citizens and non-citizens whom have been in the country since the 6th grade and up starting after the Summer of graduation (or if the person did not graduate, then on their 18th birthday). Exceptions will only be given for the disabled or in extreme situations, young individuals may claim hardship if they support their entire family. Women who are expecting can get a reprieve until three-months after they deliver, then they must serve. No exceptions! This service will be mandatory and without pay (see next paragraph).
Once their time is the Military is served, reformed individuals gain automatic citizenship if they were not already legal, and may attend a four-year federal university of their choosing with all expenses paid – no more or no less. If the student chooses not to go to a university immediately upon leaving the service, or if the student takes longer than four years to complete their major, the federal government will not cover or compensate for the remaining expenses – it will be up to the individual student in that case.
ILLEGALS
To say illegal’s are taking American jobs is absurd when the reality is, the more people in a given area, the more food, gas, daycare, everything a person needs, must be available and in abundance. The influx of people should not “take” jobs away, because in return for the increase in bodies is an increase in demand, thus more jobs are required to sustain the current population. If all the illegal’s currently residing in the states left back to their country of origin, nothing would change because even though many jobs opened up, the need for everything else would decrease, thus working Americans would loose their jobs as demand for goods dropped and would have to take up the jobs the illegal’s left behind, and nothing would change.
On that note, both the Canadian and Mexican border should be removed completely. Citizens in North America should receive a pass, as they have in Europe, to travel around the continent and work freely.
DRUGS
Legalizing drugs would be mandatory for many reasons, but first let’s talk safety: all the strict laws in place currently for alcohol would be enforced fully for all drugs, including DUI, drunk in public, open container laws, etc. There would have to be a safe and effective way to test for the drug(s) in question or that drug would not be made legal for obvious reasons.
Having said that, upon legalization, non-violent drug offenders would retroactively be released from custody immediately; this would save the states a tremendous amount on inmate costs and overcrowding. Additionally, the legalization of drugs would include high tax rates (as they do for tobacco) which would add millions to each states revenue on an annual basis instead of costing millions annually for enforcement. Furthermore, the ability to grow drugs would add tens of thousands of jobs to the economy, from farmers, to sellers, to head shops, to what-have-you. With federal oversight, the FDA would provide safe levels of drug use for individuals, eliminating many overdoses caused today. I personally would push for a “no-refinement” law, meaning drugs must be used in a pure form, not refined into a powder form that might be considered highly toxic and unsafe, nor prescription pills abused. Abuse of this law would be steep penalties, followed by jail time.
Last and possibly most importantly, this would completely kill the drug trade in Mexico, and with the boarder opened up, there would no longer be anything to fear, and Mexicans could finally get the corruption out of their cities and government.
LAWS {SPEEDING}
To help cover the costs of Military and Healthcare, there should be traffic cameras on all freeways and highways going into and out of every city in every state, and in front of every school zone. Speeders will receive their ticket in the mail. Speeding is illegal, yet we all do it. The current system of the highway patrol catching one car at a time is a joke and we all know it, which is why we all speed. Our breaking the law can help cover the costs of Military, Healthcare, Prisons, and whatever else was needed, Hell, maybe even replenishing Social Security if enough people speed on a continual basis. The added camera system would also mean less highway patrol needed, thus more city police could be afforded and that would mean less crimes committed!
HEALTHCARE
In our current system, Doctors in certain fields simply get overpaid leaving the important jobs of our General Practitioners few and far between. The cost of non-generic drugs is controlled by large corporations, and even after five years (the maximum time from whence a drug hits the market to when generic versions of the drug can start competing), these corporations push congress to extend their stranglehold on the market, and Congress usually yields for whatever reasons (money obviously). Until these two discrepancies are fixed, our Healthcare system in America can never be fixed, however once they are fixed, I fancy a Healthcare system based on Denmark’s, with a higher tax rate, but everyone is covered from birth to the grave, regardless of what might be ailing you.
FOREIGN RELATIONS
Finally in this fantasy re-imaging of America, being a part of the United Nations and NAFTA is one thing, but policing the world is not good for Foreign Relations! Did I not trust the intentions of our leaders completely, I’d be afraid of the abuse of power at the highest levels, but having said that, I believe it should be this countries mission statement to strive for peaceful relations worldwide and to lead by example. But not only that, let countries – such as Israel – fight their own battles. So far it’s worked surprisingly well with a large portion of the middle-east countries turning democratic seemingly overnight. We don’t need to be micromanaging every aspect of the world to make it a safer place to live.
What I think should change in these regards is our foreign policy of giving aid to countries that don't need it, and interfering in other countries business without the full approval of the United Nations. Having nukes may make us formidable foes, but bad bedfellows with terrible bedside manors. I would like to see America more focused on strengthening ties to, and showing support for the United Nations, and attempting to do foreign affairs "business" through them instead of in opposition to them. This of course does not include Ambassador visits or special interests pertaining solely to this country, but worldwide events, such as our dealings with North Korea, how we handled the UN during our invasion of Iraq, situations like this. I guess what I fear the most with our current foreign policy is Iran launching a nuke and Israel, America launching a nuke at Iran, Russia seeing this and launching a nuke at America, America responding back with a counter-launch, China seeing this and launching a nuke at America, America responding, and the world ending all because we're interfering in other countries business instead of focusing on making peace. While I don't really think this would ever happen, it would be my hopes that doing business through more formal channels might lessen the possibility of such a catastrophic event ever occurring, and then perhaps as a United world, we can focus on helping the 3rd world countries that really do need aid but aren't getting any (because there is nothing in the cards for us).
TAXES
The current problem with the tax code is all of the "exceptions" and tax "loopholes" that make tax time confusing for the average American, and allow large corporations to pay next to nothing for their taxes (as stated by Warren Buffet). To remedy this and increase revenue, while spurring equality across the board, this country would adopt a policy like Herman Cain's flat 9/9/9 tax rate, but with no exceptions. Because it would be a flat, non-alterable rate, taxes would no longer need to be filled out at the beginning of the year because they would constantly be sent to the government out of your paycheck each month. Large business and private employees would have to submit this payment each month, perhaps with a Bill Pay type service, but the process would be very simple - take your total income and calculate 9% of that to see how much you owe. The only difference that might possibly be made to the standard 9/9/9 proposition is - with the other changes being proposed in this post - 9% might be have to be adjusted to compensate for Healthcare fees, but also increased revenue from the Speeding tickets and legalization of drugs. Perhaps a point lower or higher in either direction.
Child Support would still be allowed to garnish wages, but this would not affect the tax rate.
"The true value of a human being is determined primarily by the measure and the sense in which he has attained liberation from the self." -Albert Einsetin